Dancer Carlos Acosta Finds His Own Rhythm

By

Bruce Palling

June 10, 2011

The Cuban ballet dancer talks to The Wall Street Journal Europe about how he starts his weekend.

Born into a family of 11 in Havana, Carlos Acosta began dancing when he was 9 years old, after his father signed him up for ballet school because he feared his son was heading for a life of delinquency and oblivion. The life of the now 38-year-old principal guest artist of the Royal Ballet has been anything but. Based in London for the past decade, Mr. Acosta has performed with every major ballet company in the world—next week, he will dance in "Romeo and Juliet" at the O2 Arena in London—and he has created his own show, called "Premieres Plus," which will be on at the London Coliseum in late July.

ENLARGE

Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta
Angela Taylor

How do you start your weekend?

It all comes down to the kind of work that I have to do the following week. If there is a show coming up, I normally reduce my activities, so I just stay at home or walk around Islington Green, which is near where I live. It is great. I have been here for quite a long time—it is very vibrant, trendy, young and somewhat Bohemian. And, of course, it is very convenient for Sadler's Wells and the Almeida playhouse.

I might go and get some breakfast and just get a bit of fresh air, but I really try and conserve my energy. Then I will go to the gym, but only to relax in the sauna or the Jacuzzi. Being a ballet dancer means you are working out every day of the week, so you must give the body time to relax. If, say, "Romeo and Juliet" is coming up, I don't even, like, stand up or walk around at the weekend. I need to recharge for the following week.

And if you aren't performing?

That is when I find time to go to shows. I try to keep up with what is happening and see a new piece if it is out there. Not long ago, I saw "Dunas" at Sadler's Wells, which had Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and María Pagés, the flamenco dancer. I also loved seeing Jonny Lee Miller in "Frankenstein" at the National Theatre. I loved the way that the producers were color-blind and had a black guy playing Frankenstein's father. I think it is very encouraging and I am very proud they went that way.

What about films and art exhibitions?

Whenever I have time, I go to exhibitions. I am also fond of films and musicals as well—anything that can enhance my creativity. I believe that all of the arts are connected, so whenever you go and see a musical or a play, I always get some ideas for my own work. If you are a ballet dancer, you also have to act, so I love to observe the nuances in other people's performances. At the same time, it stimulates your brain in a different way. So the more you know what is going on out there, the more you bring to your own performance, even though it is all happening subconsciously.

Do you eat at home or go out?

At the moment I don't really cook much, but this is something that I really want to learn. I have all these Jamie Oliver cookbooks that people keep giving me as presents. I have a few favorite places, like Floridita in Soho, which I also have some connection to. I went a lot to a Turkish place called Sofra in Exmouth Market, but it has closed. The place I am really looking forward to is the new Jamie Oliver restaurant opening in Islington.

Do you have any time for reading?

Yes, I have just finished the "Prince of Mist" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, the author of "Shadow of the Wind." It was his first novel and is somewhere in between a children's and adults' book. I am re-reading John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" (I also liked the movie starring John Malkovich). The next book I want to finish reading is "2666" by Roberto Bolaño. I love his work, but it is as long as the Bible, so I don't know when I will find the time. I still have my own novel to finish, which I have been working on for three years, but with my work at the Royal Ballet and my own productions, it doesn't leave a lot of room for reading.

If you could ignore these pressures, what would your dream weekend be?

I would be in Cuba surrounded by my family, both alive and dead. I would also have my fiancée Charlotte's family with me and, of course, a family of our own. We would be beside the pool in my beach house playing dominos with some happy-beat Cuban music playing in the background. This would remind me a lot of my childhood and the place that I came from. That would be a perfect weekend for me.

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